‘Beyond the Hill’ tops Asia-Pacific Awards

Greek-Turkish coproduction “Tepenin Ardi” (“Beyond the Hill”) has won for best feature film at the sixth annual Asia-Pacific Screen Awards (APSAs) held in Brisbane this weekend.

Produced by Enis Kostepen, Emin Alper and the late Seyfi Teoman, the pic is a psychological drama set in the Turkish countryside. South Korea’s entry “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” received a high commendation from the jury headed by vet Aussie producerJan Chapman.

“‘Beyond the Hill’ took us on a journey to hidden secrets within a family. It was a microcosm of what can happen in a more universal situation,” said Chapman. “The characters were truthful and complex, it told the story in an original and different way. ‘Beyond the Hill’ dealt with our tendency to look on the outside for a solution when the real problems lie within.”

Helmer Emin Alper told Variety he hoped the award would help him with funding and publicity for his next project, and that “it also means more people will come to see this film.”

The APSAs moved this year from the Gold Coast to Brisbane and Ryuichi Sakamoto earned the FIAPF award for lifetime achievement. The Japanese composer also opened and closed the event.